TRYING to find the right balance in Conor Hourihane’s new player/coach role with Barnsley will be a key priority for the Tykes boss Darrell Clarke given his view that the Bandon man is a ‘quality player’.
Hourihane (33) has returned to Barnsley to take up a new position as a first-team coach alongside Clarke, with the plan is for the West Cork man to assume full-time first-team coaching responsibilities in two years’ time.
But Hourihane hasn’t hung up his playing boots yet, and Barnsley boss Clarke is keen to get the former Irish international on the pitch. In his first appearance of the pre-season, a win against Accrington, Hourihane provided an assist for the opening goal from a corner.
‘Conor is a quality player. He’s enjoying it. We’re trying to get that balance. We’re making sure he gets enough training minutes because he’s got quality as you can see.
We have a plan in place to keep him at the right level so that he’s always available when we need him,’ Clarke told the Barnsley Chronicle.
Hourihane returned to Barnsley following two seasons with Derby and after captaining them to automatic promotion from League One last season. His first spell with Barnsley was memorable – he twice captained the club to wins in Wembley before moving to Aston Villa.
